Seaplane pilots drawn to central Florida lakes

The Associated Press

Published Monday, June 04, 2007

ORLANDO -- Bill Kitchen is taking takeout burgers to new heights.

The recreational seaplane pilot recently used his $450,000 turboprop seaplane, which he had docked behind a lakefront restaurant for his own lunch, to deliver burgers to a friend on a ski boat in a lake 15 miles away.

"This tends to make the hamburgers rather expensive when you figure in fuel costs, but the fun is worth it," said Kitchen, one of a growing legion of so-called "urban bush pilots" who enjoy hopping around central Florida's abundant lakes.

Florida has more recreational seaplane pilots than any other state, according to Jim McManus, head of the Seaplane Pilot's Association in Lakeland. The association has about 8,000 members.

"We have a lot of water to land on. The weather is great for aviation. And the Orlando area has one of the world's longest-running seaplane-training operations as well as the manufacturer of a very popular seaplane," McManus said.

One of the kicks is hunting "the coveted $100 hamburger," said Kerry Richter, whose Orlando company, Progressive Aerodyne Inc., sells a popular $50,000 seaplane kit.

"We've identified 150 restaurants on lakefronts within 100 miles of Orlando, and we're always cruising lake shores and hopping over tree lines looking for new ones," Richter said.

The popularity of the planes has the central Florida city of Tavares thinking of building a seaplane base and boat marina to cater to lake-hopping pilots, according to city administrator John Drury. The city is seeking $1.6 million in government grants for the project.

"We are unique in that our downtown is right on the lakefront. I think we can use this seaplane base and marina to stimulate our economic development," Drury said. "People who own seaplanes have a lot of disposable income, which is good for a downtown revitalization program."

The seaplane base would offer pilots fueling services, which are hard to find on many lakes. It also would provide weather information, landing buoys and water taxis to ferry pilots and passengers to shops and restaurants in Tavares, Mount Dora and Eustis.

The planes aren't welcome everywhere. New Jersey bans seaplanes from public lakes, as do Orlando and Winter Park in central Florida.

"We have a lot of boat traffic on our chain of lakes here, and no one knows when a plane will come in, so it is very, very dangerous," Winter Park police Lt. Wayne Farrell said.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, there have been 60 accidents involving manufactured seaplanes in Florida since 1982. Twenty-one people died. The NTSB said 28 home-built seaplanes crashed in the same period; killing six people.

McManus said seaplane pilots have a "tremendous safety record." Pilots must undergo additional training to get certified to land on water.